City of Niagara Falls Plans, 1846, 1877, 1884, 1886, 1889-1890, 1892-1894, 1903-1905, 1910, 1914, 1919, 1925, 1927-1928, n.d.

The collection consists of 37 plans, surveys or maps of the City of Niagara Falls beginning in 1846 until 1928. Some of the plans were created for the Falls Company, a group of land speculators that included Buchanan, Murray, Street, Allen, Robinson and others. Other plans relate to the building of the suspension bridge and the railway. Some plans and drawing may refer to estate documents in RG 167 Niagara South estate and legal documents collection. Item 22 has been scanned for preservation purposes.

Margaret Glassford fonds, 1941, 1951, 1961, 1971, 1973-1975, 1977-1984, 1986-2000, 2002, 2005, n.d.

Margaret was an only child who grew up on a farm just east of Cayuga, Ontario. After high school, Margaret attended Hamilton Teacher’s College and took a position with Grantham Public School Board and taught at Power Glen school. Margaret was married in 1962 and had 2 children, a daughter and a son in 1963 and 1964, respectively. Margaret left her teaching job to raise her children. Margaret was very creative and artistic and during this time, focused on these talents, which included painting, graphic arts and sewing. Margaret was also an accomplished pianist. In her 40’s, Margaret enrolled at Brock University and in 1989 obtained a Honors Bachelor of Arts degree with First-Class Honors in Sociology. In partial fulfillment of her Honors B.A. she completed her thesis that is entitled ; The State and Liberal Feminism: The Ontario Government’s “Business Ownership For Women Program”. While living in St. Catharines, Margaret attended York University and graduated with a Master of Arts in Sociology in 1992 where her studies focused on women’s issues. Margaret received a scholarship from York University and was a teaching assistant. Margaret stayed on at York University and completed her academic requirements for a Doctorate degree in Sociology. Her dissertation was on self employed women in St. Catharines at the beginning of WWII -- not the” Rosie the Riveters” who took over jobs formerly held by men who had to go off to fight World War II, but women who ran their own businesses when that was still unusual. Margaret completed the research for her thesis but did not complete her written thesis as she made a difficult decision to put her academic work on hold in the mid-1990’s and she returned to her love for the arts, although she always remained a voracious reader and interested in women’s issues. In the last decade of her life, she took up quilting with a passion, which she referred to as fabric arts. Margaret loved colour and being non-traditional. Margaret had been a quilting instructor at the Flemington College for Fine Arts in Haliburton. In 1997, Margaret founded Project Smile in the St. Catharines region, a non-profit group who make quilts for children with cancer. Margaret was also the President of the Niagara Heritage Quilters’ Guild in 2006-2007 and was very involved with the Local Council of Women.

Proceedings : Grand Lodge, A.F. & A.M. of Canada in the Province of Ontario - 1925

On spine : The Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario.

Proceedings : Grand Lodge, A.F. & A.M. of Canada in the Province of Ontario - 2000

On spine : The Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario.

Average White Band poster, ca. 2000

The Average White Band's debut album, Show your hand, was released in 1973. The "classic funk and R & B" band included members Alan Gorrie, Owen "Onnie" McIntyre, Malcolm "Mollie" Duncan, Roger Ball, Robbie McIntosh, and Mike Rosen. Rosen was quickly replaced by Hamish Stuart. The band, comprised of Scotsmen, released a second album in 1974 that featured the US number 1/UK Top 10 single "Pick up the Pieces". That same year, Robbie McIntosh died of a heroin overdose and was replaced by Steve Ferrone. The song "Cut the Cake" from their third album made the US top 10, and subsequent releases in the late 1970s and early 1980s proved successful. The members largely pursued individual projects in the years that followed, but re-formed in 1989 (with original members Gorrie, Ball and McIntyre, and new members Alex Ligertwood and Eliot Lewis) and released the album Aftershock. Over the years, the band's members have changed, and the band is currently comprised of Onnie McIntyre, Rocky Bryant, Alan Gorrie, Fred "Freddy V" Vigdor and Klyde Jones. Their most recent album, Times Squared, was released in 2009.

Lighting recommendations for the Ryan Electric Scintillator and Fireworks Program for the official dedication Niagara Falls illumination, 1925

Walter D’Arcy Ryan was born in 1870 in Kentville, Nova Scotia. He became the chief of the department of illumination at the General Electric Company of Schenectady, New York. He was a founder in the field of electrical illumination. He built the electric steam scintillator which had numerous nozzles and valves. The operator would release steam through the valves. The nozzles all had names which included: Niagara, fan, snake, plume, column, pinwheel and sunburst. The steam scintillator was combined with projectors, prismatic reflectors, flashers and filters to produce the desired effects. In 1920 a group of businessmen from Niagara Falls, New York formed a group who called themselves the “generators’. They lobbied the American and Canadian governments to improve the illumination of the Falls. They were able to raise $58, 000 for the purchase and installation of 24 arc lights to illuminate the Falls. On February 24th, 1925 the Niagara Falls Illumination Board was formed. Initially, the board had a budget of $28,000 for management, operation and maintenance of the lights. The power was supplied free by the Ontario Power Company. They had 24 lights installed in a row on the Ontario Power Company surge tank which was next to the Refectory in Victoria Park on the Canadian side. The official opening ceremony took place on June 8th, 1925 and included a light parade in Niagara Falls, New York and an international ceremony held in the middle of the Upper Steel Arch Bridge. Walter D’Arcy Ryan was the illuminating engineer and A.D. Dickerson who was his New York field assistant directed the scintillator. with information from American Technological Sublime by David E. Nye and the Niagara Falls info website Location: Brock University Archives Source Information: Subject Headings: Added Entries: 100 Ryan, W. D’A. |q (Walter D’Arcy), |d 1870-1934 610 General Electric Company 650 Lighting, Architectural and decorative 650 Lighting |z New York (State) |z Niagara Falls 700 Dickerson, A.F. 700 Schaffer, J.W. Related material held at other repositories: The Niagara Falls Museum in Niagara Falls, Ontario has a program (pamphlet) dedicating new lighting in 1958 and it has postcards depicting the illumination of the Falls. Some of Ryan’s accomplishments can be seen at The Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco. Described by: Anne Adams Date: Sept 26,Upper Steel Arch Bridge. Walter D’Arcy Ryan was the illuminating engineer and A.D. Dickerson who was his New York field assistant directed the scintillator. with information from American Technological Sublime by David E. Nye and the Niagara Falls info website

Photograph - Ethelwyn Wetherald 1925

Photograph of Ethelwyn Wetherald at her home in Fenwick, Ontario, 1925.

Proceedings of the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of Canada at the annual convocation, 1925

Annual Convocation proceedings for the year 1925. The title varies slightly and convocation is held at different cities or towns in Canada. Sixty-seventh annual convocation.

Annual convocation 2000 Proceedings (2000)

Annual Convocation proceedings for the year 2000. The title varies slightly and convocation is held at different cities or towns in Canada. One hundred and forty-second annual convocation.

Photograph of St. Catharines Collegiate Institute students, October 20, 1925

The origins of the St. Catharines Collegiate Institute can be traced back to the formation of the Grantham Academy on Church St. in 1829. In 1845, the name was changed to the St. Catharines District Grammar School and in 1890 the Grammar School was renamed the St. Catharines Collegiate Institute. The current site of the school on Catherine Street was built in 1923 to accommodate the increasing demand for technical education, and became known as the St. Catharines Collegiate Institute and Vocational School. The school was enlarged with additions in 1945, 1965 and 1969. In 2006, the school underwent major renovations, which were completed in 2008. It is currently a secondary school administered by the District School Board of Niagara.

Canadian National Exhibition Advertisement - 1925

Advertisement for the Canadian National Exhibition Toronto, reads: Aug. 29, Sept. 12, 1925 Hoot Mon! For the Canadian National Exhibition Toronto.

Letter - Michael D. Harris to Donald Ziraldo, 2000

A letter from Premier Mike Harris to Donald Ziraldo 15 June, 2000. The correspondence discusses the possibility of agricultural preserve in Niagara.

Letter - Johnny Lombardi to Donald Ziraldo, 2000

A letter from President and CEO of CHIN radio and television, Johnny Lombardi. Mr. Lombardi thanks Mr. Ziraldo for his "good wishes" as he celebrated his 84th birthday. Lombardi also mentions the CHIN Winter Picnic to happen soon in Acapulco. There is a handwritten note at the bottom that appears to be written in Italian.

Canadian Niagara Power Company fonds, 1901, 1925, no date.

The Canadian Niagara Power Company was created in 1892, in large part due to the efforts of William Birch Rankine, a businessman who pioneered the development of hydropower on both the Canadian and American shores of the Niagara River. Numerous delays and problems postponed the construction and operation of the company's powerhouse, which was formally opened on January 2, 1905. Upon opening, the powerhouse boasted the largest generators of their kind in the world, with a capacity of 10,000 electrical horsepower each. The company was acquired by FortisOntario in 2002. In 2009, the company’s water rights expired and the Canadian Niagara Powerhouse building, also known as the Rankine Generating Station, was turned over to the Niagara Parks Commission.